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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2021 0:41:26 GMT -6
“As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife” (Proverbs 26:21).
This contentious man is sandwiched between verses 21 and 22. By the context, I would conclude probably that is trying to get you to link this contentious man with the bearing of tales. A guy that is a talebearer is also a man that is probably trying to start a fight. We saw in verse 20, that “where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” Well, this guy is “contending” in that context, and that contention is not the contention for the gospel, and it is not the contention for the truth. This contentious man has an axe to grind.
We've all seen in church before, probably, somebody with a doctrinal axe to grind. Some guy comes in with a grand idea about how wonderful Calvinism is, and because we don't agree with him, then we have a problem. He has an axe to grind. Or, perhaps a charismatic comes in, and he's got a charismatic axe to grind; and resents the fact that we don't look at things like he does. Other folks might have a personal axe to grind. The bottom line is they are contentious men looking to kindle strife in the church.
Sometimes, folks for no other reason than just having a personal axe to grind they get some sort of thing going with someone else in church, and it becomes a personal thing, and they're not going to let it go. In fact, they'll split the church before they let it go. They are contentious men that kindle strife, and they don’t care who they wound in the process.
If we become tolerant of those who are tolerant of compromise, we will finally so regard the compromise itself. Then we will embrace the very compromise we once opposed. Once compromise becomes our posture, the things of sin will shortly become our portion. Christians are far more like to drift into sin than fall into it.
Think about it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2021 2:03:39 GMT -6
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him” (Proverbs 27:13-14).
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,” so, a stranger walks in and says, “Hey! Will you sign on a loan for me?” “Well sure pal! Uh, what's your name?” Well, somebody like that, you might as well just take something away from him, because he's going to lose it. Right?
“Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.” he might as well. It is the equivalent of just take something from him and go buy a loose woman with it, because that is what this guy is going to wind up with. He is he is a wreck. He has no wisdom. In light of, in the shadow of, a prudent man he has no prudence. He has no foresight. He can't see that when the guy walks in and says, “Hey! Can you loan me some money? Can you sign a loan for me?” “Well, sure!” Well, duh.
Verse 14, “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,” should be shot. That is in the Hebrew. “. . . it shall be counted a curse to him.” This is a friendship issue where if a friend doesn't have any sense about certain things, then eventually it is going to affect the friendship. If he has no prudence, no discretion about content of conversation, that sort of thing, if we are brash and proud and always putting somebody down. Guess what? One of these days it is going to come back and haunt us, and maybe nobody will beat you up, but eventually you are going to find yourself alone because folks are not interested in some of that nonsense. Right? So, it says there “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.”
“Take his garment,” see, there's your collateral for you. I mean, if he's been surety for a stranger he's about to get ripped off. I told you the reason they want collateral for a loan is that the bankers really don't feel that that guy can pay, and when they want a cosigner, what they are saying is we don’t think he can't pay, and we need somebody who will. Ask any banker, to be honest about it, that's what a cosigner is for. If you cosign, you are a surety for a stranger. That’s really all you can say about it.
I'd just be careful about loaning money. Even to a best Christian friend, just be careful about loaning money. You want to make enemies fast? loan Christians money. Just do the best you can. Just tell him you haven’t got it to loan, that you don't want to lose him as a friend. Do you know what you are better to do? Just give it to him, free and clear, give it to God and walk away from it. That's the best thing to do.
Perhaps that is why this verse was written: “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Proverbs 19:17).
You'll be the last guy on the face of the earth that they'll pay off. I mean, you're their friend. Just give it to him. Don't let the devil sit on your shoulder.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 4:21:47 GMT -6
“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9 KJV).
This verse is directed to those who willingly turn away their ears from hearing God’s Word, “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear” (Zechariah 7:11 KJV).
God refused to hear the prayers of many in Isaiah’s day because of their disobedience: “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15 KJV).
The curse of God is upon all who turn their ears from His Word: “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Matthew 10:14-15 KJV).
All religious acts by the disobedient are obnoxious to God: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8 KJV).
"Without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Worshipping God in violation of any expressed commandment is to make void the Word of God. Worship and sacrifice and solemn assembly, without faith, becomes a “weariness” to God—it vexes His innermost soul—it disgusts Him. Who required of them such a steady stream of traffic in faithless sacrifices? Not God! They willfully forced these rituals upon Him. He loathed them. Their worship and their living were incongruous—they did not go together—because iniquity and solemn assembly are totally incompatible.
In Leviticus we see the picture of worship for God in the censer of smoke. The altar of incense both stood for the prayer of the saints and their worship (lifting up of the hands of Psalm 141:2).
“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:1-2 KJV).
God took His word pictures in the Old Testament very seriously. God’s work, not done God’s way, will not result in God’s approval, but rather His disapproval. Nadab and Abihu learned this the hard way—and they were Aaron’s sons! If the sons of the High Priest can’t get away with a false form of worship, how do any of us think we can?
Human worship done by carnal means sickens God: “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting” (Isaiah 1:13 KJV). And yet, through all that, God has made a way for man to bridge the divide: “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:17-18 KJV).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2021 1:05:53 GMT -6
“For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Proverbs 1:9).
When folks attempt to apply the Bible, one of the first rules is that you have to think things through. People really need that class on Common Sense 101! All right, this passage is not about braiding hair. It's not about whether you can wear an earring or a necklace. It is about whether that is your ornamentation versus something else. There are some people that get all gussied up on the outside and on the inside, they are a sewer. Okay? Now, that's not pleasing in the sight of God.
“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (verse 4).
There is something to be said for men having “a broken and a contrite spirit.” And there's a time he's supposed to be brave, and outspoken, in some regards. So, Peter is not necessarily leaving men out of this, but it is primarily addressing wives here. Do you have “a meek and quiet spirit?” Do you have that? Do you ornament the doctrine of God with “a meek and quiet spirit” to your husband, to your children, to the Lord? It counts a lot.
You know what it says about that woman over in Proverbs 5 and seven. She’s loud, she abideth not in her own house, she argues, and complains, and moans, and whines, and carries on. That’s not for you. Build up your home and your family.
“For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands” (verse 5).
Did your husband make a decision you didn't like? We’re not talking about jumping off a building or drinking purple Kool-Aid. I'm talking about something he determined would be best for his family, spiritually. Did you fight him?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2021 1:46:28 GMT -6
“That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:20).
Okay, a good man obtains favor of the Lord, but it doesn't say that you get to heaven by being a good man; but I’ll tell you what: You take two lost guys and stand them side by side. They are both 35 years old and one's been a bad man for the last 20 years of his life and once been a good man for the last 20 years of his life, the good man is more likely to have a clear path to getting saved, and becoming converted, then the bad man. He has a lot less to overcome. He has a lot better success in not only becoming a Christian, but prospering as a Christian, after he is saved; and he's not always reaping evil crops right and left.
“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself" (Proverbs 14:14).
There a verse that ought to make you think. In one regard, you have a bunch of bad men, and all they can think of is bad stuff and all they are filled with is there evil ways; you can see that they're filled with their own ways, at the same time one of the marks of a good man is that is satisfied from himself. He puts in a good week in his labors and sleeps like a baby. His work may not always be the best it could have been, there's always “this could have been done better,” or whatever but a good man is satisfied by the fruit of his own efforts. There is a satisfaction in that life that no amount of toys are going to replace.
On the other hand, people are busy trying to counterfeit the joy and the rejoicing and the peace that comes from serving God, living for God, and generally fearing God. They are trying to replace that with prosperity, with health, with entertainment and the like, and it just doesn't work. It never has worked, and it never will work. There are just too many people running around looking for a counterfeit joy.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2021 1:47:59 GMT -6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 KJV).
Leaning on your own understanding is a rubber crutch. Folks talk about religion being nothing but a crutch, but a person that leans on their own understanding is something that will fail you and you will fall every time. This means that we need to trust in the Lord in everything—if you don’t understand it—trust anyway.
When tragedy comes and the Bible says that all things work together for good, you fight to believe it. Do not let truth forsake you at that moment. When someone treats you wickedly and does you dirty, don’t let mercy forsake you at that point. We are to live peaceably with all men. You are not to seek vengeance, ever: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19 KJV).
Trust in the Lord! If someone does you wrong, it must have been the will of God. Was it the will of God for the Devil to go after Job? Don’t fly off the handle at circumstances, circumstances may have been set up by God.
Self-righteousness, anger, and the wrath of man are all a product of pride and arrogancy and rebellion against God.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart,” of course, Americans lean on their own understanding, “and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2021 2:03:16 GMT -6
“For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:22-23).
“For they . . .,” now, what is “they?” What's the reference What is the antecedent? “Words,” verse 20. “For they are life,” they are life. We find four things in the Bible that life is. We are not talking about life is a vapor in the sense that life is like a vapor, but life isn't a vapor. It's like a vapor, it is compared to a vapor, okay? But as far as the substance of what life is, there is only four things that the Bible says life is.
- Life is “Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). - Life is the words of God. It says so right in our verse for today. - Life is verse 13, “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.” - Jesus Christ, the words of God, the instruction of God: and “to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life in peace.”
Those are the only four things in the Bible that you can say substantively that life is. Life is likened to many things; but those things are what life is. So, when life becomes merely money, when life becomes merely fun, when life becomes selfish or centered on self; you're missing life. That's why we you have to lose our life in order to find it.
“For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” Now, you know there are lots of promises in the Bible regarding health; and you can't deny here that this is fleshly health. This is our health the way we think about health, and you know I’m not saying we shouldn’t go to the doctrine and get our pills and whatever we need to maintain that health; but it just might be that the words of God have more to do our health then people are willing to give it credit for. I’m not saying that because you're a Bible believer, you’ll never be sick; but it just might be that the word of God has more to do with your health then you realize.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2021 1:23:46 GMT -6
“His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins" (Proverbs 5:22).
Solomon is trying to convince you that if you go far enough down the road you will start to lose control. It is not saying you can't regain it, and it is not saying the Lord won’t give it back to you, but I'm saying that it becomes harder and harder to get back out from the clutches of that sin.
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Corinthians 6:12).
This may seem like a strange verse to do mention this in. Okay, most people like first half of the verse a lot. “Huh? All things are lawful for me!” but not so much the second half, “but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Now, there's a thought right there. It’s not just the expediency in the first half of the verse, but it's about being brought under the power of something or somebody.
I am not one of these guys that thanks drinking coffee is wrong, because I drink plenty of it; but the day that you get up and you can't function without coffee, you may have a problem. You might want to consider trying something else. We are not to be brought under the power of anything. We have to be careful with those things. Some people cannot apparently stop the progression of their thoughts. Sometimes people get mad and then claim they can't stop their behavior. Well, if that's the case, you need to backtrack and figure out a way. Because, what you just admitted is that you were under the power of something else. We understand that people are not perfect, we understand that; but you need to have control. This is not talking about a kind of control by which you are the captain of your own ship and all that kind of thing; but it is talking about self-control that is scriptural.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2021 1:13:35 GMT -6
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19). The Bible says that God hates some people. Now, God is love, He is. We read of it in 1 John 4:7-11. God is love. I have no question about that; but that's not all that God is. God is also a consuming fire, and there are things that God hates. It’s not just that there are things that God hates; there are also people that God hates. Now, just so you understand, that didn't stop the Lord from “commending his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Okay, God so loved the world collectively, that He gave His only begotten son, and made provision for every man on the face of this earth. But there is still a difference between God commending His love and making provision, and still loving somebody. There’s a difference. What I need you to see is that in these days, the way the world approaches this is not biblical at all. It is not to take the whole picture of the love and hatred of God in the Bible and to put them side-by-side in columns and learn what the picture is of how God’s love works. The idea is to forget that God ever said anything about hating people at any time, ever. To hear some tell it, anybody that has ever gone to hell, God still loves. To hear some tell it, God still loves the Devil. I want you to know, that is not true. Look, I do not believe for a single minute that it is wrong to tell somebody that God loved you enough to send His Son to die for your sins on the cross. Don’t hesitate to say that. Don’t stand up and say, “God hates your guts!” Don’t do that. Don't do that, alright? Tell somebody that God loved them enough to send His Son to die for their sins on the across, but if you tell them; if you put a little sign on your garage and it says, “God loves you!”, “Smile, God loves you!” you're lying to a bunch of people. You’re giving them the wrong impression. You're giving them that the impression that they already have the love of God and if they are in the love of God then there's not that much they have to worry about. If God loves you anyway, then what's to fear? Hell is a real place. Don’t give people the impression that the love of God is all you need to keep them from going there. This is not hard doctrine at all, it's just uncommon in the day that we live in where everything is touchy feely and icky gooey.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2021 0:57:35 GMT -6
“Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows" (Proverbs 7:12-14).
“She . . . lieth in wait at every corner,” so, she's more than just one woman. It has to apply more broadly than just one woman. One woman doesn't lie in wait at every corner. It has to have a more expansive corporate thing than that; so, it's acknowledging here that it has an application that's beyond just one little 120 pound gal that's full of the devil, right?
“So, she caught him,” well, he's in the wrong spot and should have ran. “So, she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face,” “impudence” means brazen, immodest, forward, or challenging. It’s the look you get on the fashion magazines at Walmart. That’s the impudent look, the “come hither look.”
“So, she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him . . .,” that's the opposite of the meek and quiet spirit of the godly woman that Peter describes or the “shamefacedness” of first Timothy: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array" (1 Timothy 2:9).
Verse 14, “I have peace offerings with me,” this gal is religious. If you think that holding up a cross and throwing holy water around is going to run her off, you’ve got another thing coming. She's perfectly comfortable around religion. she's 100% comfortable around crosses and holy water and just about anything else you want to bring out. She says, “I have peace offerings with me.”
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2021 0:50:37 GMT -6
“She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man” (Proverbs 8:2-4).
Our Lord doesn't need to cry out to animals because he doesn't deal with animals. Animals respond by instinct, by nature. That's true, so maybe in that respect you could say well God speaks to them too. Well, maybe, but he doesn't have to convince animals of anything. Animals don't have the wherewithal to resist God that way. It is only to man that He gave a free will and thoughts of their own and the ability to imagine an ability to choose, as well as a will to sin. It is to them that he calls to and ask them to make the right choices.
One other thing we see from verse 4 is that this is a universal call to “whomsoever will come.” In the heresy called Calvinism, this call is sent only to an elect few, and the rest of mankind is consigned to the fires of hell with no opportunity to come to Christ for redemption. “They can’t,” the Calvinists claim. “They have no choice in the matter!”
Well, hell is eternal punishment. Will God punish man for being something that he has no choice but to be? That is not tenable with the God of the Bible “Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Again, verse 4 does not say, “Unto you, O chosen few men, I call; and my voice is to a limited number of the sons of man.”
In fact, after writing the last couple of sentences, I am going to take a shower to try to get the stench from me.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2021 0:45:26 GMT -6
“He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee” (Proverbs 9:7-8). “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him” (Proverbs 26:4). Here's a classic contradiction. Well, it's not a contradiction at all. Does it sound like a command? Okay, verse 5, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” You’ve got a choice to make when you run up on a fool and his folly. You have to make up your mind whether you answer him not, or whether you answer him. It takes some prayer and some wisdom. Verse 8, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee,” a scorner is more likely just to hate the messenger, but folks, don't use this as an excuse to not witness, because you don't really know who's a scorner or not. There is a preacher by the name of David Spurgeon. He's in his 60’s now and he's formidable as it is. Can you imagine him at 40? Put him at 35 years old on the back of a Harley in his muscle shirt and tell me that that wouldn't be one scary man, alright? Well, somebody witnessed to him and he got saved. So, we need to be careful about categorizing people based on outward appearance. Don’t use this as an excuse not to witness. We can't do that, but we can keep from becoming a scorner. You can read the earmarks if you start bearing some of those traits. In case some of you might not have heard of David Spurgeon, listen to his testimony. unshackled.org/program/david-spurgeon/
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2021 0:40:02 GMT -6
“The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (Proverbs 10:1).
It says there that “a wise son maketh a glad father,” it's amazing the number of times in the Book of Proverbs, in particular, it keeps talking about the son and the father and the mother; and, of course, we understand on the one hand that the devotional father/son relationship is the spiritual father/son relationship to us with Christ. But anybody that's raised sons, and for that matter daughters, knows that your kids above all else have the capability of breaking your heart or making your day. Well, there's a little bit of both that goes into that, right?
But here in proverbs 10:1, it says that “a wise son maketh a glad father.” Notice also that “a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” Everybody, before they get their kids raised, has quite a number of heavy days where they are disappointed by something that’s happened. They're scared, they are intimidated, and all those things. There’s a little bit of both that goes into that.
Everybody wants to be able to raise their kids according to the outline, and that everything would go just exactly according to the plan. Since when did anything in your life go exactly according to the plan, right? You would be foolish to think that everything happens smoothly with raising children, even Christian children. It is not practicable to think that everything goes smoothly and that there are no rough waters. It’s just not realistic. Well, unless your name is Mary and you were in Bethlehem and your son’s name was Jesus. Well, at least not with Him. Certainly, there were some rough times in the home when His brothers and sisters came along. Can you imagine trying to tell on your brother Jesus? I’m pretty sure that is where the challenge, “Prove it!” started. Nobody quite has the capability of breaking a mother's heart or a father's heart quite like their own children do. On the other hand, there's nothing quite so rewarding as things working out the way the Lord always said it would.
Think about that! Why would the father be related to the wise one, and the mother to the foolish? What would be the difference? Generally, when a man is successful the man will take the credit for it. “A chip of the old block,” “I taught him everything I know.” But if that bird turns out to be a turkey, you know what the dad does? He disinherits him, writes him off and goes and plays golf—but that mother broods over the boy, and bears the burden of that individual. I guarantee, she doesn’t forget it, and she doesn’t write him off.
The man will just write him off, the man is very pragmatic. The kid turns out to be a success, he’ll take all the credit, but the kid turns out to be a dud—he just writes him off! But that woman, she bore him, she fed him, she’ll never write him off. She’ll bear that “heaviness.” It’ll be a burden to her. She’ll never give up on him.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 1:35:32 GMT -6
“A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (Proverbs 11:13 KJV).
The man in the previous verse that is void of wisdom and despiseth his neighbor is also a talebearer. He tells everything he can about his neighbor, trying to destroy him. This is also what the hypocrite from verse 9 is doing. Very likely all three are the same man.
“A talebearer revealeth secrets,” maybe it is true that the neighbor has done something wrong, maybe it is the neighbor’s kid that has messed up and done something. Well, what good is it going to do to run around the neighborhood saying, “Did you hear about so-and-so, what he did?” Maybe what you need to do is pray for them and perhaps give them the Gospel? Maybe they just need someone in the neighborhood to care for them? What about it, Christian?
“. . . but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter,” it is bad enough what happens to folks, but how much worse when a neighbor that professes to love God goes out and does the job of the gossip columnist and makes things even worse for them? Now “concealeth the matter” does not contradict the Bible where it speaks of “covering” a sin. A Christian isn’t to cover up his sin, he is to confess it. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 KJV).
What our verse is talking about is gossiping and talebearing. It is just being unkind and unmerciful to people that have problems and have troubles—especially those that should be dwelling safely by us as a neighbor.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2021 1:29:56 GMT -6
“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22).
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight” (Proverbs 15:8).
It’s almost sad to see how much a grandmother delights to see her grandbabies who are separated by a great distance, making it hard for them to see her on a daily basis. She misses them so much that it hurts when they are not there. This is not to make God some kind of grandmother, but He is delighted to have his sons and daughters pray and to be upright, and to get on their knees uprightly pray. It is his delight. He is not just glad about it, He is delighted in it.
It's truly sad because people, when it comes to pleasing God, think they can please God without being saved and they can’t. But then, after people are saved they often think that they are pleasing God by just relying on grace and grace alone and not worrying about anything else; and that’s just not true either.
“He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man [the idea that the man’s legs are his strength; no matter how strong the man’s back is, if he can't bend over and pick something up off the ground, he's not strong and then it goes on to say]. The LORD taketh pleasure [that equals that delight] in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalms 147:9-11).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2021 0:33:26 GMT -6
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12 KJV).
One can only imagine what it must have been like for Jacob to wake up that morning after his marriage to Rachel only to find out that her cross-eyed sister was looking back at him across the pillow. Such a thing would be nightmarish in our western culture. I believe that we would be fit to be tied! After the shock wore off, though, Jacob had to abide by the custom of the land. One day, his agonizing wait was over and his truly beloved was by his side, his great desire had come.
We that are saved have a great desire and it is found in 1 John: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I John 3:2-3 KJV).
We have a great desire for a coming day when we will be like our Saviour, to be as He is. Until then, our hearts are sick with not only the anticipation of waiting, but with the agony of not being like Him. How our heart melts as we consider that we are still so far from that likeness. Yet, because of our heartsickness, we strive to be pure as he is pure, and Jesus’ Blood is ever near to cleanse us and make us right. Still yet, the pain of our personal failures is heartbreaking.
We, as the church, are in possession of a quite blessed hope, as Paul reminds us: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14 KJV). This holds for us both the glorious anticipation of our Lord’s return for us, His bride, at the rapture and the reminder that we will be purified and saved from the very presence of sin. Our heart is often heavy as we watch a loved one leave this world in death, and wish that the Lord had only come already, but we have a hope (assured knowledge) that we will see them again one day, because we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” But our hope will be deferred, just for a little while.
Our hope is a real hope! It is not like the hope I had in a birthday present that I yearned for weeks to possess only to shove it in a closet the day after because the joy was but fleeting. Our hope in heavenly things will far surpass the wonders of it all, when we see our loved ones, when we see our new home, and when we see Jesus! And when we are like Him at last.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2021 0:41:14 GMT -6
“The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly” (Proverbs 14:24).
“The crown of the wise is their riches,” that is, their reward. They were wise, they lived right, they trusted God, they received the reward. In the Old Testament this is material blessings. Not necessarily true for New Testament believers. The crown of the wise in the New Testament are the riches of salvation. “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” (Romans 10:12).
A guy that is wise unto salvation is rich unto everlasting life. There is the riches of His grace in Ephesians, and the riches of His glory in Colossians. A Christian may not have two nickels to rub together in this life, but he has riches untold spiritually. We may be beggars, but we are rich.
“. . . but the foolishness of fools is folly,” foolishness. The way they act, the way they think. It doesn’t amount to anything—it doesn’t brink them any real wealth.
MEMORIES
Perhaps you have never thought of the tremendous place memories play in life.
We never actually live in the past or in the future. We are always living in the present. But memories, good or bad, have a way of greatly influencing our present life. And our present actions in turn build memories that will greatly influence our walk in the days to come.
I have seen saintly older people draw joy, peace, contentment and sweet comfort from the wells of memory. And I have seen other elderly people who are in the throes of misery as they look back on memories of greed, lust and intemperance.
Dr. R. A. Forrest, founder of Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, gave a short, beautiful testimony on his eightieth birthday: “Well, as to the past, many happy memories; as to the present, peace and contentment; and as to the future, the best is yet to come!” Thus spoke a true Christian.
Don't you want to part with the foolish, counterfeit philosophy of this dying world and give your life to Jesus Christ?
- William E. Allen
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2021 23:26:59 GMT -6
“The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words” (Proverbs 15:26).
“The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,” notice that their thoughts are not hid from the Lord though no doubt they believe they are. The wicked man’s thoughts are usually on himself, and his thoughts are completely evil, like those in Genesis 6: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
“The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,” it’s obvious why. Their thoughts are selfish, sinful, and they are devoid of God.
“. . . but the words of the pure are pleasant words,” if a man talks right, and his words are pure, that means that his thoughts are pure, his heart is pure and he is right with God. So their words are pleasant. They are pleasing to God and they are pleasant to those that are around them.
There are people that do not agree with us doctrinally, but they appreciate our spirit when we are right with God. They may never get saved, but they would just as soon talk to you as to some mean person, or bitter person, or some proud person, or zealous person.
To be pure of heart, today, is exclusively through faith. “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8-9).
Now, I realize our hearts don’t stay pure for long—God saved our souls and gave us everlasting life—but a Christian heart’s can get pretty messed up in this world. Not in the eternal sense, but in the temporal sense. It has to do with our attitude and our spirit, if we are not careful to avoid the carnal allurements of this world. It can get bad when we get to leaning on the flesh and living for the world. We need to cling to the Cross of Jesus Christ on a daily, if not hourly basis, and constantly plead the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ which cleanseth us from all sin.
“The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.” A pure man, witnesses to the Gospel, tells the truth, be kind to people and he’ll stand against what is wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 23:07:44 GMT -6
“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5).
“Every one that is proud in heart,” you see, there is the problem, they are stuck on themselves like the Devil. The Devil wanted to ascend above God and set his throne over God’s throne. That’s where the Devil got in trouble and that is where every person gets in trouble. They just think that they are it, and that God and the world owes them something, and they can just go through life expecting everybody to bow before their wishes.
“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD,” one of the worst things you can do today is get your kid involved in sports where that ugly business of self-pride is built up. You have to be really careful of that. You need to explain to him beforehand that if he is going to get involved in sports, he is to do it for the Lord, and if he ever become successful at it he needs to give the glory to God and not to himself. It is because God gave him the ability, not because it was built in.
Coaches build up kids with the wrong kind of mentality. “You have the potential!” “You’re a natural!” Building up one’s pride in themselves is an abomination to God. It is absolutely sickening to hear some of these sports’ “heroes” talk about themselves.
“. . . though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished,” that’s a whole lot of folks getting together but note the singular “he” – “he shall not be unpunished.” The proudest man that will ever walk on the face of this earth will be the Antichrist. He will join hand in hand at the battle of Armageddon, but he will not go unpunished. Old Satan himself, Satan incarnate, the Antichrist will not go unpunished
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2021 0:50:33 GMT -6
“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife” (Proverbs 17:1 KJV).
The “fool” is mentioned nine times in this chapter, more than in any other place. Verse one is another one of those axioms of life (12:4, 14:1, 15:17, 21:9, 19). Now there is a life of peace for you! It is better to have nothing, or little of nothing, and yet have peace than a life of strife—fighting, fussing, and feuding—that’s the way some folks homes are. “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house” (Proverbs 21:9 KJV). You’re better off to have a good marriage and have nothing, then to have one of these big houses with all the big payments, and all the big trouble over finances, and all the trouble they get into to have all that mess.
“Better is a dry morsel,” now you know what that is? That’s a hunk of hard bread with no bread and nothing to drink. But that is better than a “house full of sacrifices.” Now, a Jew wanted a house full of sacrifices. That’s all the animals he ever needed. I don’t know if you want to raise cattle or not, Abraham did, Lot had them. Imagine having all the meat you could ever want, all the choicest meats, with plenty to sacrifice and plenty to eat. But what good is all that junk if you can’t enjoy life? That’s all Solomon is saying. What good is all that stuff if you don’t really enjoy it. Obviously, this is talking about a rich Jewish home with animals and meal. Not only talking about sacrifices, in the sense of animals, but there were sacrifices like the meal offering where they offer all sorts of grains. It’s more than having animals, it’s having more than you could want and more. The Pharisees had all that stuff and when they cast in their offerings, they gave from their abundance. But they didn’t have quietness therewith.
The Christian home can have peace and maybe a true prosperity if God is obeyed. There is only one way to have peace in the home. You have to steadfastly go by God’s principles in the home.
“Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord” (Ephesians 5:21). It is not just the woman being a slave. The father is to submit himself to the children in the sense of “time,” in the sense of a parent’s “love,” and in the sense of what they “need.” The husband ought to submit to his wife, “dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife” (I Peter 3:7). Some men don’t know the first thing about a woman, and they could care less; and when they get home, she is his wife—and she is supposed to do the cleaning and the cooking, and that’s it. There’s more to it than that, man! A wife is a human being, they have feelings, they have emotions, they have desires, they have needs, they have potential, and they have limits! And most husbands are very good at finding those limits, to their own hurt.
Now, when it comes to the direction of the home and the final authority, the man is the head of the home and the wife needs to be in subjection—and the children need to be in obedience to the man and the wife. And that is the principle for peace. But if there is a 50/50 marriage (not a 100/100) there will be no peace, and all kinds of trouble.
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